As Curt Moore's eyes scanned the record-breaking crowd gathered on Central Avenue for the 10th Anniversary of St. Pete Pride June 30, he noticed a common trend.
“The number of young people celebrating Gay Pride is just amazing to me,” the 62-year-old Bradenton resident said. “It's moving. I couldn't imagine being so open about who I was when I was a teenager or in my early 20s. It really shows how far we've come in this country and it makes me want to tear up!”
Festival organizers estimate 100,000 people at the outdoor festival and parade and credit a dry day and headliner Deborah Cox for bringing out so many people. And that crowd was just as diverse as the community it was celebrating.
Check out Watermark Online’s Complete 2012 St. Pete Pride coverage – photos, videos and more!
“I heard someone make the comment that such a variety of people can be in the same place at the same time with no violence and no altercations,” said St. Pete Pride executive director Chris Rudisill. “We all manage to get along so well for that one day. Imagine what we could accomplish if we could do that every day of the year.”
The celebration, which coincides with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots that many consider the beginning of the modern LGBT civil rights movement, has always landed on what seems to be the hottest day of the year. The 2012 celebration was no exception, with temperatures reaching the low 90s in St. Petersburg.
The heat, however, was a better option than the alternative, according to Cindi Symons, who attended the festival with her girlfriend.
“Last weekend I was so afraid that St. Pete Pride would be rained out,” the 19-year-old said, referring to Tropical Storm Debby. The system stalled over the Gulf of Mexico just a week before St. Pete Pride, dropping a record amount of rainfall in the area. “When I saw forecasters say it was going to be way out in the Atlantic by today I was so happy! We can beat the heat with water, shade and sun block. There's nothing you can do about a tropical storm!”
Rudisill said that he and the St. Pete Pride board of directors watched Debby's path closely, but they were never worried about canceling the festival.
“The worst scenario I saw on forecasts was a 60% chance of rain,” Rudisill said. “I think she scared a lot of people at first but I knew we'd be okay. We've dealt with a little rain on other years. What did surprise me was how beautiful the day was. We didn't have any rain and for the first time ever we didn't have to use weights to hold the tents in place.”
The beautiful weather also made for constant entertainment throughout the day”including headliner Deborah Cox, who brought most of the crowd to the main stage for her 45 minute set shortly after 1 p.m.
“It was a great way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of St. Pete Pride,” Rudisill said. “I was thinking later that Tropical Storm Debby made way for Deborah to come help us celebrate.”
Where's the rainbow?
St. Pete Pride kept with tradition in that its annual promenade lasted most of the morning”stepping off at 9 a.m. and lasting two hours with 140-plus entries. A large number of churches, businesses, news organizations and clubs brought decorated flat bed trailers, large festive floats and synchronized routines to Central Avenue. But one tradition was noticeably absent. There was no 1,500 foot rainbow flag unfurled into the crowd at the end of the promenade. Organizers were just as surprised as festival attendees when it didn't show up as the last parade entry.
“It was scheduled,” Rudisill said. “The truck from Georgie's Alibi in Fort Lauderdale was bringing it, but they never arrived. We haven't heard exactly what happened and at this point I just hope everyone is alright. I do know that the truck they use is older, so it could have been car trouble. We plan to have it back next year.”
The lack of the rainbow flag disappointed Bo Webster, who traveled from Kissimmee to celebrate St. Pete Pride.
“This is my first time here and it's been amazing, but I really wanted to see that big flag I've always seen on the news and in pictures,” he said. “I wanted to get my picture taken under it.”
Still, Webster said he enjoyed his time at St. Pete Pride and plans to come back in 2013.
“There really is nothing else like this in the state,” Webster said. “I've never seen so many LGBT vendors in one place before. I'm going to have to haul swag to my car a few times!”
Segway Sabotage
Throughout the weekend, St. Pete Pride's Mistress of Ceremonies Christine O'Leary made appearances at official events”including a stint on a Segway during the promenade. Spectators enjoyed the comedienne's comments about each float as she rode around with a microphone on Central Avenue.
What wasn't funny, however, was when the performer lost control of her ride and fell”face first onto Central Avenue”toward the end of the parade. After a ride to the local emergency room, O'Leary learned she didn't break anything, but her ankle was severely injured. She talked a little bit about the accident during her stand up routine (while she remained seated) at the Metro Wellness and Community Center in St. Petersburg.
“Mommy's a little drugged tonight,” she told the packed house. “I had a little injury but the show must go on. Besides, I like this set up”I feel like Oprah Winfrey.”
Her hour-and-a-half show praised the organizers of St. Pete Pride and also gave her a chance to talk about the many bridges connecting the communities of Tampa Bay”something she says her local friends complain about far too much.
“You people post on Facebook all the time about the bridges here,” she said. “You hate the bridges. The bridges are too long. It takes forever to get across the bridges. I just knew that these bridges had to be awful like in the northeast where you pay $14 just to cross them. Then I find out most of them are free! They're free people! Quit complaining.”
Since O'Leary started a little late, thanks to her surprise hospital visit, fellow comedian Alec Mapa, who was in town as a host of Pride in Fashion, spoke to the crowd for awhile while they awaited O'Leary's arrival. When she finally did arrive, she was thrilled to see Mapa on stage.
“Finally, Alec Mapa is opening for me,” she joked. “It's about time he showed me some respect!”
Small protests, no arrests
As with every St. Pete Pride festival, a smattering of religious protestors bring signs baring Bible verses and hateful rhetoric about LGBT people. While their numbers seem to dwindle each year, a few still caused a stir with festival attendees from their designated free speech zones.
“I find it so frustrating that someone who represents a religious does so with all of that hate,” said Connor Weister, who said he tried to debate with a man who held a large sign with verses from the book of Leviticus condemning homosexuality. “When I tried to have a normal conversation about the other verses in that book that outlaw everything from shellfish to touching a menstruating woman, he wouldn't listen. He is so focused on hate that he can't listen to reason.”
Weister wasn't alone in his interactions with the protestors. One young woman, who didn't identify herself, wanted to let the protestor know that even though he didn't like who she was, she still loved him as a person.
“When I approached him to give him a hug, he backed up like he was repulsed,” she said. “It's sad that someone has to live in an envelope of hate like that. All we can do is pray for him.”
Despite the interactions between the protestors and attendees of Pride, there were no reported arrests related to the St. Pete Pride festival. There were, however, several medical calls made in response to head exhaustion.
“I spoke with the St. Petersburg police late in the day of Pride and they told me there were no arrests made at all,” Rudisill said. “The only incidents we had were heat-related and we did have one person who had to be transported by ambulance because of complications with the heat. All other medical issues were handled on site by our amazing medics. There were no major incidents at all.”
Time of reflection
The people, staff, volunteers and the City of St. Petersburg are amazing to work with, Rudisill said, and he credits everyone involved for making the 10th St. Pete Pride celebration the biggest ever.
The success of 2012 is bittersweet for the executive director, since this was his last year at the post. He starts a new job with Metro Wellness and Community Centers in mid-July.
“It was very emotional, especially that last hour of the festival,” Rudisill said. “That's when it hit me. I'm going to miss it and it was a great thing to be a part of. It's an amazing feeling to know you've helped make this tremendous event happen and that you were part of bringing this to the community. I'm confident that the next executive director will continue on this path and we'll see St. Pete Pride continue to grow.”
For board member Chris Tate, seeing such a large and diverse crowd celebrating Pride was almost unfathomable. He spoke to Watermark in the middle of Central Avenue as he took it all in.
“I'm just overwhelmed,” said a teary-eyed Tate. “Look at all these people. Look at our community. I'm so proud and so thankful and this should give everyone hope for the future.”
St. Pete Pride's Board of Directors have already begun work on next year's festival, which is slated for Saturday, June 29, 2013.
